Write. Eat. Rinse. Repeat.

On Being Productive

But even if you do love it, you’ll have a few days like these. We all have those un-productive days. Those days like today, when I’m playing the game where the ground is made of lava and I’m going to die if I get off the couch. Those days when I don’t want to even look at a word document, hear the word “publish,” or make the phone call I should have made yesterday. Those days when ‘hardly working’ sounds like a better option than ‘working hard.’

When you don’t have a traditional 9-5 and own your time, you have the freedom to choose how to spend it; which is also the problem. Things that should be done today get pushed to the bottom of the to-do list because you can do them tomorrow, next week, or whenever you feel like it – Whichever comes first. So how do we get anything done?

You and I need inspiration. We need to revisit why you’ve made the conscious decision to do what we’re doing and remind ourselves why we love our craft. Unproductive days like these are simply necessary steps we all must take. Your body, your brain, and your soul must rest. Resting may seem counter-intuitive when you’re used to plowing through your checklist, but the other option is stress. While some people thrive on stress, it is still the number one factor for physical and mental illness.

So take the day off, and don’t give yourself a hard time about it. Enjoy the sunshine and eat some ice cream. Embrace your need for a time-out but do not let non-productivity become a habit. Stay focused, stay inspired, and ask your team for help where you need it.

One of the things the late Steve Jobs constantly reinforced is that you should love what you do. If you don’t have fun doing it, you will give up. So for all of you who, like me, are sitting on the couch bullshitting on the internet when you should be doing something else, press play and remember why we fell in love with living the dream in the first place.